Fire rookie Bone believes his time is coming

When Fire Head Coach Carlos de los Cobos called for Corben
Bone to come into the game in the late moments of last Saturday’s match at D.C.,
the rookie midfielder was understandably excited.

Bone, the Fire’s first-round draft pick out of Wake Forest,
had yet to make an appearance in a MLS match and was more than ready to debut
for the club.

“It was going to be my debut and my first time as a MLS player
in an MLS game,” Bone told MLSsoccer.com over the phone on Wednesday, “So
obviously, I was excited.”

Unfortunately for Bone, he never actually got in against
D.C. He waited for a few nerve-racking minutes at the touchline, but the game
ended before an opportunity for a Fire substitution arose.

“You’re waiting the whole game to get in as a sub then they
call your name ... and then you don’t end up going in, so I was a little bit
disappointed,” he said. “But I’m just trying to take it one step at a time. Hopefully
next time, I’ll actually get in.”

Bone, who missed a significant amount of preseason training
with a left leg injury, said his lack of playing time hasn’t dissuaded him from
working hard.

“I just go in with the right mindset each day and try and
get better,” said Bone. “Hopefully the coach will see something in me and I’ll
get out on the field. I think that I’ve been doing really well in training and I’m
starting to earn the respect of the coach and the guys, so that’s good.”

In the end, Bone said he’s trying to keep the right attitude
and work ethic.

“I’m keeping myself focused on working hard and trying to
get better and eventually my time will come,” he said. “Hopefully I can prove
something once I get in and hopefully stay in that group that plays a lot of
minutes each game.”